Sentimental Treasure
by Little Tails
Summary: Tails befriends the survivor of a destroyed city as the Freedom Fighters intercept a peculiar message.
1. Opportunity

An immense robotic army sparked an inferno.

The orange rage gradually melted the dreams of an island's only city. Heavy clouds climbed an afternoon sky. Machines scoured the territory's neighborhoods and districts. They listened closely. Among the silence, the sobs of a youth reached them.

Rumbles of thunder roared from weapons. A revolt arose. It compelled the attention of a distant twin-tailed fox. As his eyes and ears ventured into the chaos, the soldiers threw themselves at the mechanical fleet. Though the passion for justice drove their actions, their journey fell short in a torrent of bullets.

Blood recolored the ground. His breath shot out. An urge to help tugged at the fox, but the fear of joining those who collapsed forced him away. The metal beasts reloaded and approached everyone remaining. They forced the citizens into an enormous airship lingering nearby.

After clearing any means of escape, each member of the military gave a signal to the pilot and began a march about the platform. The deep booms of an elaborate engine drifted with the air as it carried its passengers northwest, nearing a sky smothered with smoke. A slice of time allowed the airship to hide in it and disappear.

"Robotnik", the fox whispered.

Time seemed limitless. A fire becoming a fading memory and remnants of energetic lives created a still wasteland. Only the wind noticed their existence. It gently swept away the debris as if it were a broom, revealing roads and sidewalks underneath. Clear skies guarded the island and greeted a pair of feet wandering within it.

Dead flesh's thick scent relentlessly burned inside the fox's nose after his first steps into the quiet world. He scanned the path he chose. The blaze etched the outside of buildings with large black designs. It crafted an art. Across every structure, faint pictures took form on the walls and repeated for miles.

A storm of thoughts steadily drowned him in worry. The questions amplified in his mind: did anyone escape? Are they okay? Where are they?

It took control of the fox's voice, beginning a search for survivors. "Hello?"

His words echoed within the lossless universe, to no response. The inferno's masterpiece finished at a certain point, but his eyes gave attention to the structures surrounding him. They concentrated on windows giving life and spirit to deserted rooms, wondering if anyone still existed.

The message repeated.

"Hello?"

The instruments of footsteps played in the silence. He froze.

A mesmerizing dream came to him in the shape of a vixen. With each passing moment, the features of flawlessness came alive: an elegant shade of red perfected her fur, a fragile tail with a soft tip complimented her and a yellow bow contentedly rested on her head, completing her. Once simple inches separated them, she took him in an embrace.

His paws locked onto each other behind her back and pulled her intimately close. The fox's tails instinctively followed.

Trembling breaths told her story. Memories a family's lifetime of love and care built - destroyed. Lifeless ashes took their place. She is alone. Frightened. The reality overwhelmed her and she dreamed of escape.

When hidden tears made themselves known, the fox made use of a paw. It brushed her fur with infinite tenderness. The careful touch understood her monster. The pieces the vixen sensed falling apart reunited. Spirits inside her rose. More confident eyes presented themselves to the ones of who kept her close.

Innocence returned her gaze. Ocean eyes welcomed her with delight and invited her to stay. The same pool of blue lived in her eyes. An angel's smile inspired tranquility. She noticed daylight create little twinkles on his golden fur. Captivation found her.

Centuries passed before the sweetest voice to ever come across the vixen's ears spoke its first words to her.

"You all right?"

"Yeah," she answered, pausing to sip a drink of air.

"Do you need any help?" continued the fox's questions. "Is there anyone else out here?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "I... I didn't see anybody else. I was hiding."

"Was there anyone hiding with you?" he asked.

Momentary hesitation borrowed a thoughtful second's time.

"I- I can't think straight right now," she stuttered. "I'm just..."

A fox's playful nose greeted the vixen's. Two sparkling lakes locked onto each other. His paw lingered in the miniature paradise of her fur. Sincerity filled in the blanks of a response.

"Don't be afraid," she heard his reassuring voice say. "I'm right here for you, and I'm not going anywhere. Nothing should ever bring you down, and I'll do whatever it takes to get you back up."

What was to be the final teardrop lived as a twinkle in her eyes.

"Thanks."

"What's your name?" wondered the fox. "I'm Tails, and it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Fiona. Nice to meet you, too."

Excitement poured into a wagging tail.

"I never met another fox before," Tails noted. "You're really pretty."

Friendly words confided to her. Happiness came alive as a smile on her face.

"Thanks."

"Let's get off this island," suggested Tails. "I know some people back home who can help."

"Who?"

"I'll tell ya on the way there."

A lone boat patiently awaited instructions a mile away. It slept peacefully. Scattered lights reflected off tired waters and danced along the waves like a kaleidoscope. They woke the boat. It admired their routine and decided to perform with them. When Tails and Fiona arrived, they gazed at their boat rocking to the ocean's beat.

The lips of an evening sun kissed the face of a moon eager to come out.


	2. Enchantment

Two foxes roamed an open world.

Aged wood uttered goodbyes as they departed the docks. Songs of welcome echoed from cruising birds. A mind with few worries and little thought benefited Fiona. She eluded her troubles. The vixen presented her gratitude to Tails with positivity and a swinging tail. She looked ahead with confidence.

A faraway figure awaited them. A forest in her eyes lit up the rising night. Leftovers from a dying sun brightened her fur. Purple marvelously weaved into the dress she wore. One ear mounted on her head pointed at the sky while another bent towards them. Titanium replaced the legs and feet racing to them.

"Did you find him?" a voice asked.

"Yes, Sally girl! He's right here."

A body buried in the shadows revealed itself. Fur the color of the earth proudly boasted her appearance and a small blue vest wrapped around her back. Boots mirroring her clothing crunched through the ground, seeking Tails's pair of red and white shoes.

Frustration painted over the picture of concern.

"Tails, where were you all this time? Do you have any idea how worried we were? We almost sent out a search team after y-"

The vixen captured her sights and derailed her train of thought.

She acknowledged her. "Oh, hello there!"

A shy paw waved.

"Welcome to Knothole. My name is Sally and my friend over here is Bunnie. How are you?" A palm to shake presented itself.

"Hey there, sug," Bunnie said to her. "What do they call ya?"

Her metal body glared at the fox.

An injection of fear rushed through Fiona's blood and crushed the words speeding through her mind. Her entire body fell still. The earlier nightmare of electric soldiers reawakened at the edge of her feet. Bunnie attempted to hush her breathless whimpers through kindness.

"Ah won't hurt ya, dear," she assured. "Don't you worry yourself."

Tails reached for her paw.

"She's one of the Freedom Fighters, Fiona." he explained. "Nothing to worry about. I promise."

A frightened face pleaded for a guarantee. With a nod from Tails and a brief search for air, every worry and discomfort slowly vanished. Scrambled letters organized themselves into thoughts. Once her mind allowed her to speak, a simple word departed her mouth. She faced the ground.

"Sorry," muttered the vixen.

"No need to apologize," Sally replied. "We're all friends here. Make yourself at home. We have plenty o-"

Colors of blue fireworks burst at them. A second's gust struck their fur. Every hair took cover.

Razor edges clung behind the back of a hedgehog. Sapphire fur surrounded his tan chest. Gold found solace in the buckle on his sneakers. Ten fingers mastered invisibility behind the mask of two gloves. An adventurer's eyes inspected the group.

He spoke. "Tails, you okay?"

"Oh, look," the fox scoffed. "It's that traitor I was telling you about, Fiona."

"Tails," the hedgehog began, "just let me explain. When I was still doing that mission last night, Robotnik..."

"Robotnik what?"

"I don't know. He just.. made me do everything."

"Yeah, yeah. Just blame it all on him. You think I'm stupid, Sonic? I know what I saw!"

"Tails," Sally interrupted, "I understand you're angry but try to calm down. Let him tell you his side of the story. Please."

Bits of chilled air refreshed a fuming fox. A sigh left him. He watched. Infuriated eyes crushed Sonic's walls of security. A firecracker's anger awoke in Tails. It simmered, calming down violent temptations.

A hedgehog's strained smile attempted to reconnect with him.

"C'mon, pal," Sonic insisted. A lighthearted nudge poked the fox. "You know I'm not like that."

Tails's arms shoved him away.

"Don't touch me," warned the fox.

"Watch yourself there, Tails," advised Bunnie. "Don't be fixin' for a fight."

Sonic's words searched again for understanding. "Tails, you don't know what really happened. I don't want you making anything up, so-"

"Oh, so now I'm a liar?" Tails suspected.

"I didn't mean it like that, little guy. I just-"

"You know what, Sonic? I don't want to hear it. I'm done with you!"

The hedgehog's final image of the fox was a pair of tails fading into the scenery's green illusions. Waves of sadness charged at Sonic. It overtook him. Raindrops poured down his eyes.

"Tails?" Fiona called. Concerned feet followed the trail.

A machine's paw rested on Sally's shoulder, wishing to comfort her.

"Want me to go get him for ya, Sally girl?" Bunnie offered.

"No, that's okay," she sighed. "Let him settle down on his own. He'll come around."

Flashing lights and a lonesome moon decorated a bare night sky. They painted a magnificent forest with a dream's shade of blue, black and green. A breeze aimlessly walked around trees. It brushed with their whispering leaves and delicately crackling branches, harmonizing to the crickets' calling song. An owl expressed its desires for a mate, singing one note.

Roads of grass blades carried the weight of a wildlife world journeying into fantasy, the battle of fallen twigs struggling for fractions of life and a set of foxes taking a breath inside nature's city. They conversed.

"Tails, what happened back there?"

"He just doesn't get it, Fiona. He won't. C-can you-"

The fox locked up a waterfall behind his eyes.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course."

"The other day he went crazy," Tails confessed. "He tried to kill us and almost told our worst enemy where we were. What was I supposed to do about somebody I thought I knew turning into a monster? I looked up to him. I wanted to be like him. We were brothers."

Silence briefly dictated the conversation.

"I didn't want to believe it. I just couldn't take it. I ran away in the submarine we took here and I drove. I drove as fast as I could. I stopped at this island a mile away. I would've went back, but.. then there were all those robots..."

"So... you found me by mistake?"

The fox's happiness resurfaced. "Everything happens for a reason. Nothing's a mistake. That's why I'm glad I found you."

Color fled from Fiona while pink disguised her cheeks.

"Aw... thanks, Tails."

"You're more than welcome," his cheerful reply said. "But I'm really sorry for that whole thing earlier... it's not really a good time for him and me right now. I'm not always like that."

She listened. "It's all right. I know people got their bad days. You are okay though, right?"

"Yeah," Tails answered. "I'm okay."

The vixen's smile grazed the stars.

"I love how sweet you are," she complimented.

Pleasant words led him into a trap of embarrassment. The fox's tails kept its owner's face a mystery. They refused to reveal him. A rising curiosity in Fiona chose to push his tails away, finding what lied within. Harmless laughter illustrated her amusement.

"Do you always get this shy when somebody says something nice to you?"

He struggled to respond.

"Um," he mumbled, "no."

"So why be so shy with me?" Curiosity read his every expression.

Tails's heart discovered music. It kicked a heavy rhythm inside his chest as a red glow lit his face. Caught in a fusion of nervousness and affection, it fed its shine.

Shyness fluttered through him. "Uh... I don't know. Can we talk about something else?"

A vixen's giggles granted him permission.

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

Lost in thought for minutes, a topic visited his mind.

"It's nice out here," commented the fox. "I like how it's peaceful."

Fiona agreed. "It's quiet, too. You can hear yourself think. Hey, can I tell ya something?"

"Go ahead."

"I'm gonna sound crazy, but... sometimes I feel like it's trying to tell me things. You know, like the leaves would try to talk to me, an animal would watch over me..."

"Really?" Two joyful tails fell deaf to misery as they leaped around. "I didn't think anybody else was like that. I do that too. Mother Nature makes the most beautiful things, but I think there's more to it than what you see. That's why I'm always trying to figure out what it's saying to me when I'm not busy thinking about things..."

"What do you think about?"

"Life, love, world peace. Everyone coming together and being happy. I wanna be an inventor when I grow up and I think about all the cool stuff I'd make."

"That's cool. What kinds of things do you want to make?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll think of something."

Fiona's tail waved to the fox. Interest and a smile held her face.

"What do you like to think about?" Tails wondered.

The vixen sighed.

"How everything's gone. How fast it all happened. I can't stop thinking about it. Nothing's gonna be the same, and I still can't believe that much happened in one day."

Tails's eyes told a life of sorrow. He related.

"Yeah," the fox replied, "you're not the only one. I haven't seen my mom and dad in years. I think about them every day. I like to think that they're just somewhere I haven't looked. It's a big planet, you know? It'd take a while to look everywhere."

"I hope they're okay."

"Don't hope," Tails urged. "Know. I know my parents are all right and you're gonna be okay, too. Just have faith. One day we're going to take Robotnik down and fix everything. All the cities he's destroyed, all the bad machines he's made, all the people he's turned into robots... we can fix it. Together."

Happy teeth greeted each other's shine.

"Trust me, Fiona. I know it's going to happen. I just don't know when."

A random bomb of words detonated, attacking the air. They outran rushed thoughts and broke though the jail of a closed mouth.

"Tails, he's- I..."

Words eluded her. The heart of her mind was preoccupied.

"Something you need to tell me? I'm listening. Nobody else is here."

"It's nothing."

"Fiona, I know something's bothering you. What is it?"

"Really, it's nothing."

The fox let the problem slip out of his concern. "Okay, Fiona. I won't push you on it. But if there's anything you need to talk about I'm here for ya, okay?"

"I know, Tails," the vixen replied. "Thanks."

A careless wind tapped their shoulders with ice.

"It's getting late," Tails noted. "Maybe we should head back."

"Yeah."

They walked. Four walls built from reliable trees preserved their hay roofs and formed the homes scattered around the neighborhood. Like a secret gem, they slept in the forest's heart. Nature celebrated Tails and Fiona's return. The dirt street exhausted feet dragged through voiced their welcomes through crackles and the snaps of fallen branches.

"Tails," Fiona worried, "Wait a minute. Where am I gonna go? I don't know anybody here..."

"I know," answered Tails. "We'll ask Sally. She'd know what to do."

"Sally?"

"Remember, before? She was the one trying to help out."

"Oh, okay."

As a new walk guided them elsewhere, a downpour of guilt fell on Tails's conscious.

"I feel bad about everything," he said. "The more I think about it the more I think he couldn't have done any of that stuff. It wasn't like him.. maybe I should've listened."

"There's always a chance to make things up, right?"

"Yeah," the fox agreed. "Thanks, Fiona."

Yellow waltzed with the weary fireflies in the foxes' path. Buzzing murmured in their ears. The aged timber around the wild lights complained through their groans. A majestic creature boasting his proud antlers lurked within the bushes, deciding whether visiting travelers were friends or enemies.

Closed doors were not willing to introduce Fiona and Tails to who lived within. Locks ensured it.

"You think she's asleep?" whispered Fiona.

"I don't know," was the hushed reply. "Maybe we could look in the window and check."

"Okay."

Careful eyes surveyed the room. Pillows and a blanket cradled a gentle dreamer in its arms. Sally was drifting. To her mind, the universe never finished. In the ease of warmth and tranquility, she explored the charm of the planets and stars. Her astonishment was boundless.

"Guess we can't ask," the vixen presumed.

Remaining options hung in Tails's thoughts.

"Maybe.. maybe we could have a sleepover?" he suggested.

Emotion controlled her smile.

"You know.. I wouldn't mind that."

With actions, they spoke a beautiful language. In a sea of phrases the foxes sensed a friendship take shape. Sighs of contentment admired one another. Twirling tails shook with each other. Bumping paws drove joy into their smiles. The dialogue concluded at Tails's home.

Surrounding the foxes was a simple world: a lamp, nightstand and a mattress filled the space of hospitality. Fiona pounced the pillows. Springs launched her towards the sky and caught her landing.

"You can have the bed. I'll just sleep on the floor." Tails reached for the heavens on a wooden ground.

The comment puzzled Fiona. "How come?"

"You went through too much today. It's the least I could do."

She cherished the heartfelt concern.

"Aww... you really are sweet, Tails."

"Thank you, Fiona," he humbly replied. "It means a lot, 'cause you make me that way."

"Hey, Tails?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd feel better with you here."

The other half of the bed yearned for the fox. Legs fell into familiar territory, pressing against cold covers. Snuggly tails and a sleepy head accompanied them.

They read each other. The rings of darkness in their eyes opened up, lured in by each other's appeal. Eyes connected. Paws touched. Tails cuddled. Speechless by intensity, they spoke the only word they were capable of.

"Night," said Fiona.

"Night."

With a click of the lamp, serenity controlled all. Harmony contributed the reward of rest to them. Tails and Fiona embarked on an imaginary adventure. A private paradise dedicated itself to them. Levels of magic unknown before unleashed. Secrets ran rampant. Souls soared.

The vixen's bow defended the foxes, looming over an intimidating night.


	3. Illusion

A new era dawned.

Hatchlings longed for nutrients. Animals set off to provide for their children. Plants feasted on the breakfast of a morning sun. In the image of sunshine, life lightly swept upon where foxes still slept. Wings of the trees leaned against their feathers. Awaking leaves squinted at the threads protecting Tails and Fiona.

A violet creature armed with a wrench and a workshop on its shoulder appeared. The creek of an opening door shattered Fiona's slumber. Rusty eyes met chainsaw tusks. The vixen's worry dragged the fox from his dreaming.

"Tails?"

Whatever the fox could recall of the darkness faded away. A fresh day recorded passages in his mind.

"Morning, Fiona..." yawned the fox. "You sleep okay?"

"Tails..." she said. "Look."

A frozen paw exposed it. The fox released the blanket gripping their fur and scanned the space. Near the wooden entrance, the figure's eyes drunk in the movement. It set in motion. The feet of the beast made contact with them.

The fox eased Fiona's muted chaos with a greeting.

"Hey, Rotor. How've ya been?"

He replied. "Good. That your girlfriend?"

Tails's cheeks exploded in red.

"No."

Fiona grinned. A few of Rotor's chuckles paid for the entertainment.

"If you say so. After breakfast you gotta get to the auditorium. It's real important. Everybody's gonna be there."

"Okay, Rotor. Thanks for letting us know."

"See you soon. I'll go leave you two lovebirds alone..."

A settling face flushed with tension.

"Rotor!"

Laughter echoed around the forest's towers.

Hives surging with activity indulged in their delicious delicacies. Pleasure invaded taste buds. It electrified souls and lent over the energy that lifted them from the laziness of sleep. Whirlpools of hunger came to rest. Once satisfaction stirred inside them, a community as endless as the trail they walked migrated to a building.

One thousand people gathered. A few of those unknown to the crowd cherished their final bits of food. Languages fused with one another, streaming with topics. Among the sentences being exchanged, curiosity inquired why they were there. They sat down.

Tails and Fiona's seats met the front of a stage. The sole symbol of the hall, a silver podium, stood before a loud kingdom. It listened in. Amid the audience, a hedgehog's feet took themselves to a fox. They stopped at his chair.

The usual word passed his lips. "Tails..."

"Sonic, I'm so sorry..." Tails's eyes pleaded forgiveness. "I-I was stupid and I didn't give you a chance."

The hedgehog's expression spoke only of positivity. "It's okay, little guy. If I was where you were I think I'd be pretty mad, too."

"I want to let you say what you wanted to earlier," offered Tails. "What really happened, Sonic? I want to hear it. From you."

Calm eyes spared a minute for the hedgehog.

Sonic concentrated. "Robotnik must've knocked me out. All I remember is some guy... Sal filled me in on the rest."

Anger washed away in a forgetful storm drain, killing off a feud's ingredients. Open doors of forgiveness swung open.

"Friends?" Ready arms trusted the hedgehog.

"Friends."

An embrace healed a scarred brotherhood. The vixen smiled.

"It's great to see people get along," Fiona commented.

"Yeah," Tails chuckled. "No harm done, right?"

"None at all, little buddy."

A princess led the session. Curtains mirroring the sky placed Sally on the floor, who proceeded towards the colorless platform. A rain of applause fell on her ears. She accepted the recognition with curved lips. Observing the society just beyond her stage, every life in the building awaited her first words.

"Good morning," she began. The outdoors heard her voice ring through the doors. "I hope you all have had a good night's rest and are doing well today."

She paused. Relief brushed her mind at the scene of a fox and hedgehog's sweetness.

"Why dream of a faraway future when we could bring it here by creating it ourselves?"

Attractive words appealed to their heart's desires.

"To some, dreams are nothing more than the work of the imagination. Nothing they'd take seriously. Like a joke. Maybe that's why some of you laugh when others try to make something out of themselves. But by doing that, you hurt them. Negativity like that keeps them down and it stops them before they could even take a first step."

Some anonymous persons hung themselves in disgrace. The virus of guilt crawled in their stomachs. It spread. The feeling contaminated their conscious. Sally resumed.

"Some of us stay dreaming because it convinces them. It kills their spirit, and that's the end of a dreamer's dream. They could've made a difference. They could've changed the world, but they let their road of progress get cut short by a few bad words about them."

Silently, the audience mourned the death of their own passions. An extinguished fire lied frozen.

"But to me, my dreams are the future. Everything I can picture in my mind I can see coming to life. I can hear it. I can live it. I want all of you to know this feeling, but there's something in the way of that."

A cleared throat strengthened her voice.

"Years ago we began a marathon together. This was the race to freedom. It began when a man named Ivo Robotnik overthrew my father's kingdom and made it his own. Most of you know the story. This is what led to Robotropolis."

"When that happened," Sally continued, "a nightmare came to life. My family went from respected royalty to defenseless victims. Hope... fled from us. It suffocated with the rest of us in the smoke of the Roboticizer. It choked to death, like the scream of every helpless child. Like our troops. Like our dreams..."

Misery evolved within them. A dried desert of hopeless prayed for the cure to despair infecting them.

"Do you remember the death of your dreams?" she asked. "That day, many died. We were ghosts, wandering every path in tears. None of us could have imagined a better future, let alone any at all."

As a moment's time passed, the cloud of depression continued to develop.

"You'd think someone like me would say I got back up. I had to, right? I had a kingdom to lead. But I'm not invincible. I have my fears. What was I supposed to do? Who could I have turned to? Everyone in my life just disappeared and I knew I wasn't going to see them again..."

Hints of tears cuddled with Fiona.

"Was I supposed to let him win? Do I just... let him take over the world and turn us all into slaves? No. Anyone in their right mind would know better than to give up. It just means to work harder. Today, I am pleased to announce that we will finally see the end to this lifelong struggle."

A promise of hope drew into their ears and placed them in a void, her words loading up the empty space. Fascination caught them.

"Two days ago, headquarters intercepted a message. All security at Robotropolis will be shut down in a week for an important upgrade. After consulting with some of our members we have developed a plan to take advantage of this rare opportunity."

The ideas of a visionary raided clear minds. A new confidence inspired them.

"Each of you will contribute to bringing the dream we share into reality. No dream's too far from being real, and in 7 days you'll see ours come to life!"

Faith lifted souls. A flight of excitement took off in the room.

"You've already suffered the worst. Now let's celebrate the best!"

Enthusiasm ruptured out with cheers of approval and crisp claps. Together, they rose. Lush with new meaning, purpose and motivation broke all restraints. Their mental chains melted. Doubt demolished. Soon, they set out into what they envisioned as the foundation for their reinvented world. Tails and Fiona followed their steps.

"Didn't I tell ya we were gonna take him down?" Tails said. "Looks like it's gonna be sooner than I thought."

"Yeah," a troubled vixen replied. A paw tended to an itch behind her back. "It's great, Tails..."

The fox's tails waved to the ocean, wagging in bliss. "Can you feel it, Fiona? Robotnik and everybody working for him's finally gonna be brought to justice. I can't wait!"

"Tails, I really gotta tell you something." Fiona took note of the numerous faces hovering by. "Could we go somewhere where we'd be alone?"

"Sure, no problem."

Tails's home accepted the second chance to acquaint with them. Small space made friends with the foxes. It offered a seat. She chose the bed. Underneath, small metal arms bared the vixen, lifting the day's pressures on wooden legs. A bolt trapped in Tails's door guaranteed secrecy.

"So, what's on your mind?" Tails wondered.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone first."

"I promise, Fiona. Your secret's safe with me."

Relentless hesitation owned her. The speed of rushed thoughts outran the delay and cluttered her confession. Anxiety swiftly rebuilt what she wanted to say.

"I'm..." Her breath struck the air. "Um... I'm working for Robotnik."

Two million watts bolted through the fox. They slaughtered the life within him as fears consumed him. They condemned him to thoughts haunted with betrayal. A phantom of denial stood to his defense.

"You're... you're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking..."

The fallen angel shook her head.

"I wish I was, Tails. I tried to tell you last night but I was scared..."

Her sincerity kidnapped the fox's words.

"It's the bow," revealed Fiona, freeing the golden ribbon from her hair. "There's a microphone and GPS in this. He wanted me to go to you and have you lead me here. He's gonna track this place down and blow it up."

A river of disbelief surged through him. The waters stormed the borders of his eyes, fighting to burst. A lonely question popped out of the stream, strengthened by a confidence slowly cracking away.

"Why?"

"I didn't have a choice, Tails! He was going to kill me..."

Emotional gears shifted into anger, self-control restricting a breakthrough.

"You know how many people live here," Tails reminded. "You saw them. You're putting all their lives in danger."

Her eyes parted from the fox's and stared at a blank floor.

"I'm sorry... please don't be mad."

Two feet approached her.

"They need to know what's coming because if we don't stop Robotnik then no one will. I'm gonna tell them."

"I understand." The vixen's head consulted him. "What's going to happen to me?"

The time of the world devoted itself to him as he thought.

"I don't know," he answered. "I don't like what you did but you still mean a lot to me. Maybe even more than that. I'll do anything to help you, Fiona. I promise. It's gonna be okay."

Fiona held him close to her heart with the attraction of an embrace. Grazing fur shared her thanks. Tails mirrored her actions, guarding her with warm affection. His paw adored her hair and combed through it, relaxing her fears. The fox settled in the vixen's eyes.

"I'll go talk to Sally. We'll work something out and I'll let you know what happens. I'll be back soon, all right?"

A tail and its twin swung for the door. He released the lock.

"Wait." Fiona reached for him.

"Yeah?"

"I, I- it can wait."

"You sure?"

A single nod confirmed it.

"Okay... see you soon."

He explored. Chilled air fanned his face, admitting him into the shelter of skyscraper trees. It carried the fox away to the animals' path. Branches presented gifts of food. The skies introduced a falling sun. A house holding a sole figure filled empty thoughts. He entered it.

Fiona witnessed an unforgiving sky.


	4. Evolution

The beauty of security morphed into an abomination.

Two suits tainted with death's color occupied the door. A few knocks rushed a marathon of excitement in a vixen's heart. Visions of Tails walked into her and moved an unlocked door open. Soulless beings studied her. Disappointment caught her and escalated.

She began a chat. "Yes?"

"Are you Fiona?" one of them asked.

"Yeah," her reply said. She hesitated. "Who wants to know?"

"Please come with us." Handcuffs demanded her presence.

Confusion wrote into her expression.

"Wait, why? What'd I do?"

"You are under arrest for espionage. Step out of the house."

A wealth of emerald grass slipped into Fiona's feet. Calmness blew into her fur, pursuing answers to her worries. Oblivious to any wrongdoing, flowers smiled. They accepted the gift of refreshing air and opened for the insects in love with their scent. Bees monitored an officer standing behind the vixen, uniting her paws.

The click of chains locking led her away.

Tails's house noticed its owner drawing near. Distance disappeared. The legs of a fox raced to the room and stopped. Exhaustion burned in his lungs. Resting near the floor, he swallowed breathless air and invested his remaining strength into words.

"Fiona, good news. They... They said that you're-"

His message circled an audience of his possessions. They lied in their place, seduced by sleep. Tails shot up. Thunderstorms of worry invaded his emotions, electrocuting peace. Imaginary alarms rang. They pleaded for action. A sprint into the outside satisfied the urges.

"Fiona?"

The world ignored him. He cried her name in a voice that halted the activity of a busy forest.

"Fiona!"

Echoes hiked mountains and trails without a reply.

As he drove through a road for help, the landscape of nature blurred into a green dream. Gardens mixed with each other and stretched into infinity. Little towns of leaves darkened the ground. Trees waved their arms, calling for him. Tails fled from the hope of noticing them.

A hill of pale bricks and metal bars basked in the sunlight. Dead skies protecting the building mocked Tails. They loathed his interruption. His focus hung on its entrance. He flung a door blocking his destination to the side and slipped inside.

Hell reigned without its fire. Murdered spirits lingered ahead of him, assassinated by the abandoned island of a jail cell. Their walls closed in. Dark grey stared at madness and depression beating on convicts and newcomers. One found freedom with a knife and a red lake. Unmoved, his cage tightened.

Swarms of police officers scattered. Papers took cover as radios hissed.

"Send paramedics to row 3, cell 14..."

"Inmate #275, Scourge..."

The fox's paw pretended to chase the many heads sprinkled in the station, seeking help.

"Hello?" His question searched for answers.

A secretary retreated to her desk. She helped herself to the attraction of a computer screen. Pleased with the attention, the metallic child hummed an innocent tune.

"Miss?" Tails called. "Miss?"

"Can I help you?" The vocal whip of annoyance lashed at the fox.

Speech launched out of the fox's mouth.

"My friend's missing," Tails explained. "She's a fox, about as tall as I am. Blue eyes, red fur. Might be wearing a bow? Um... she-"

"Row 1, cell 5." A paw directed him there without hesitation.

Gratefulness was the final message to her.

"Thank you," said a departing Tails.

"Yeah, yeah..."

A vixen endured a quiet nightmare. The poison of a sickening stench stabbed her body with panic. A demon assaulted her mind and slaughtered her happiness. She deteriorated into a simple, delicate flower lying on her metal bed. Without a voice or a listener, she fell from a sad cliff. A tearful pond cushioned the drop down.

"Fiona!"

The trap of hopelessness cracked and joyfulness leaked through.

"Tails?"

The wings of her heart soared.

Two familiar arms surrounded themselves around the vixen. Ice bars shocked their chests with the rawness of a cold society. The warmth of compassion forgot the feeling. He swept her fur free from fear. It healed the wounds burdening her mind.

Three words broke out.

"Don't let go..."

His paws magnetized her. Beginning behind her head and finishing at the tail, the fox gifted affection. A charmed heart delivered a tender touch with a humble smile. Admiring eyes traveled to Fiona's. Embers in their eyes glowed with desire, igniting for each other.

A voice addressed the fox.

"Step away from the bars, Tails."

Sally presented herself. The princess confronted Tails and Fiona, armed with a mental soldier. A precise pattern of red and blue accompanied the commander's uniform. His accomplishments lied on his shoulders. Tan whiskers produced the sides of his face as yellow threads held onto his head, giving life to a blond wave of hair.

A curious nose perked up to the aroma of death.

Exclamations ran out of his mouth. "Sacre bleu! What is zat stench?"

"They're taking care of it," Sally assured. "Don't worry."

Tails engaged her in conversational battle.

"You said you were gonna help her," Tails reminded. "You call this helping?"

"You need to understand Robotnik would do anything to expose us," the princess responded. "He could use machines or spies like her to manipulate you into telling him. That's what he wants, and I can't allow that to happen."

"She isn't one of them, Sally. I know it. Just let me prove it to you."

"You did the right thing, telling me about her. But please," she added, "don't interfere with my duties. Escort him out, Antoine."

"Oui, oui."

"I'm not going anywhere." Mountains of passion shifted within him. "You need to hear me out."

"Tails," Sally said, "just let us have her and we'll be on our way."

"You stay away from her!" He fixed himself in front of the cell, defending the vixen from the world.

Fiona's eyes attached to the scene without a word.

"People get put in jail for what you're doing," Sally warned. "Think about that."

"You're the one who should be in here," the fox growled. "Does being a Freedom Fighter even mean anything to you? How could you be talking about dreams and peace when you're shoving people in here like this? You don't give them a chance. You just make them suffer."

Sally's reply died in the collapse of her words.

"You're no better than Robotnik. You should be ashamed of yourself."

The grip of guilt strangled her. A shadow cast over the princess as a feeling stalked her. Something in her eyes fought to break out. It sliced her with regret.

For guidance, she looked towards her military genius.

"Maybe ze fox has a point," Antoine suggested.

A sigh of compassion rewarded achievement to the foxes.

"I'll give you a chance," Sally confirmed. "But I don't want to regret this. Antoine, set her free."

"Of course," he cheerfully answered.

The jagged edge of a silver key kissed the corners of a lonely lock. Angels returned a light to Fiona. They lifted her away from the hatred that abused her ears as the vast, spacious grounds of planet Mobius prepared for her. Tornadoes of relief spun inside.

As a free vixen, happiness rained down on her.

"Thank you..."

Tails's teeth illuminated the building.

"I knew you were gonna be okay."

Her tail fluttered.

"Hmm..." Tails pondered. "Do you still have the bow?"

"It's under the pillow, how come?"

An enthusiastic paw seized the vixen's, leading her into to the green universe beyond.

"I got an idea. Come on, Fiona."

Rejoiced with hope, two shadows gathered. Dust from a road less traveled scattered into the air. A forest's ears caught feet shooting through the land and its grass. Feathers of trees shivered. The moans of a door grumbled about its harsh treatment.

They laid the bricks of revolution.


	5. Enlightenment

Justice swarmed into bloodstreams.

Collages of Freedom Fighters rich in animal diversity drew together: wolves, tigers and eagles scattered the hall's seats. Warrior's faces multiplied in the masses. They fell silent. The bridge of time standing between them and the future cast uncertainty. An arena full of eyes locked themselves to the figure leading their meeting. She spoke.

"You all know why you're here," Sally addressed. "So let's go over the plan."

They listened.

"We have the entire region of Robotropolis mapped," the princess explained, pushing their focus to a map that lounged on the wall. "Its strongest points are the factories, power generators and the control room directing every SWATbot in the city. We will fly there in Robotnik's Hover Units and destroy these places with the use of Rotor's specially engineered bombs."

A humble wave addressing the crowd thanked her.

"Colonel Stripe, your group and I will make up Team A. We'll attack the factories directly. I will assist you in getting there."

"Yes, ma'am." A salute to her accepted the mission.

"Walt, you and Rotor are Team B. Head for the generators and help Rotor however you can."

"Can do, mate." The wallaby nodded.

"Team C will consist of Sonic, Tails, Antoine, Bunnie and Larry's group. You will all assist Tails in planting the final bombs. Tails, we're gonna need you to fly through an air vent to get through the control room. There's too much security to try to get in the normal way."

"Understood," the fox replied.

A vixen's voice stepped into the conversation.

"Wait... I- I wanna go."

Tails and Sally's words matched.

"You can't," they replied.

"You're going to stay here with the rest of the Freedom Fighters," Sally elaborated. "You lack the experience and I won't take chances with you. I still have my suspicions..."

"What are you talking about?" Fiona's eyes glittered with rage.

"I haven't forgotten about that incident last week."

Tails protested.

"She's not a bad person, Sally!"

"We do not have time for this, Tails. Sit down. Fiona, come up here."

Traces of anxiety immersed themselves into her. Cold eyes preyed on the fur walking towards the stage. A breath escaped the vixen. Anxious fingers connected to each other. The instant she joined Sally, her body forbid her from moving. She mimicked a statue's stillness.

In a realm of nervousness and confusion Fiona asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"You're going to use your bow to trick him," the princess instructed.

The soldier of fear eavesdropped on their conversation.

"But... he can hear everything right now..."

Sally explained. "Our electronic jammers prevent that. We're going to make it look like the signal's coming from somewhere else while we let your bow communicate. What you're going to do is talk."

"What do I say?"

"Tell him you're in Knothole Village, and only that. If you say anything other than that, I will re-arrest you."

Threats boosted the fog of insecurity.

"Rotor, initiate GHOST."

"Sure thing."

Paws swept a keyboard. Fingers rapidly tapped engraved letters, communicating commands to a computer. Numbers and symbols arranged themselves for a performance. They executed. Code flowed through the mind of machine with the desire of completion. Success announced itself through a beep.

A thumb pointed toward the ceiling cued Fiona.

She repeated Sally's words. "Robotnik, I'm in Knothole Village."

Rotor touched a key, silencing her bow.

"Did I do okay?" The vixen wondered.

"You did great, Fiona!" praised Tails.

"Adequate," Sally replied. "Robotnik would probably deploy his military forces as soon as possible, which is why we're going to attack immediately. Let's go."

Two thousand souls ventured outside. The first doses of adrenaline scrambled through blue lines inside their skin. An open market of weapons littered the ground. They prepared. Bearing bullets and training, legs sprung for their vehicles.

Cars built for the skies awaited them. A glass dome washed in the darkness of midnight surveyed the area. Machine guns clung to the roof, eager for blood. An electric eye gazed into the forest. Doors sensed feet crunching through the ground. They swirled open.

The energy of adventure launched an air force. Aircraft clustered into constellations, firing through the sky like shooting stars. The air of the west guided them. They pierced the clouds that graced the land with a cold day. In winter's bliss, pieces of a white blanket fused with fields and transformed lakes into frozen floors.

In the heart of a fox's lonely ship, a surprise cuddled with its pilot.

"Fiona?" Explosions of astonishment spread within Tails. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here."

The vixen sang the pleasant song of truth.

"You were there for me when I needed you, and now I wanna be there for you. Don't you remember what you said? You weren't gonna go anywhere, and neither am I."

"It's not safe out there," protested Tails. "I just want you to be okay, Fiona. What if something happens to you? You could get killed out here!"

Her melodies composed tunes of desire.

"I don't care. You stood up for me and you fought for me. Nobody's ever done anything like that for me before. So it's only right that I help you, too. I'm not going anywhere, because you need me just as much as I need you."

A reluctance to free their stares produced an unbreakable bond. Glistening eyes lit by the sun became effortless to marvel at. The color of Fiona's cherry fur leaked to Tails' cheeks as well as her own. Two souls merged. They discovered the missing halves to their dreams and began to fall as their ship flew the foxes high into the air.

Among the caged sentences and feelings they wished to set free, Fiona resumed the words of her passion.

"You said we were gonna take him down," she remembered, "and I wanna see this through. Together."

What followed a sigh of concern became surrender. He submitted to her wants.

"Okay, Fiona." Tails relished in the beauty of her paw with his. "Together."

Heavy hearts delivered light smiles to their faces.

Robotropolis. The natural world lost the fight to thrive and crumbled in the fumes of the metal fortress. Graves for the captured souls rotted in its factories. Only slaves in metal bodies departed the plants. Converted, their meaning of life evolved into defending him.

Generators devoured their resources. Coal disappeared. Hatred for humanity loitered in a smoke that distorted the sky. Pollution amplified the heat of its ferociousness. When the legs of aircraft touched the ground, nature's disgust shattered the spell of their serenity. Shots of a foul scent crushed their noses.

Walls made of scrap and hills of garbage served as the borders to the Freedom Fighter's threats.

"Get into your teams," Sally urged. "We don't have long."

Commotion was brief. Before a minute's passing, an army assembled. They unfolded across the entrance to a planet of destruction and stretched into infinity. Fiona stepped into the vision of the princess. The power in her voice startled the vixen. Her fur flied.

"Fiona!"

The ship of her fearlessness sunk into a nervous sea.

"Yeah...?"

"I told you to stay home. It's dangerous here, and carelessness like that is gonna cost you. You need to get out of here before something happens."

A stranger's ear overheard faint words and commanded its friends. Robots dressed in the shell of invisibility seized the opportunity for Freedom Fighters. Arms amplified with strength stole followers from their calling. Lions and deer sounded the vocal bells of alarm and reached the ears of the world.

The warnings of war temporarily silenced the sounds of their universe.

"Sonic, you're in charge of Fiona." Logic interacted with the princess's mind, calculating a plan through her lips. "Take her back to Knothole Village and make sure no-"

Bloodlust in the enemies' bullets raced for the skin of Freedom Fighters. Sally's advice rung in the air with gunshots.

Weapons of the rebellion responded. They craved a visit to the robotic brain. Gunfire instantly unloaded and tangoed in the shaky dance of conflict. Every body hit the dance floor of snow and dirt in attempts to dodge enemy fire. The cries of wounded electronics rose with the winds of resistance. It warned of death.

"Fiona, come on!"

The fear of desertion locked Fiona's paw in Tails's. A device occupied the fox's other paw.

Tails and Fiona invested distance into hostile opponents, ducked heads keeping away from the interested. Progress in their walk weakened the sounds of battle. Remnants of abandoned ideas littered the territory they traveled. Rust consumed the leftovers from failed experiments.

Competitors to the game of combat entered. Mechanical players hauled planes out of their slumber. Stepping inside, they flew to support their leader's side. Smoke blossomed. A nervous breeze kissed the foxes. Fur overdosed in adrenaline jumped.

An empire stolen of its worshipers whirled flurries of worry within them.

"You think they'll see us?" the vixen whispered.

"Just stay quiet and we'll be fine." From a hushed mouth, a smile came across his face.

"How long 'til we get there?"

"It'll be soon, don't worry. Just gotta keep going..."

Miles through the road invisible to the world gradually drained their legs. They begged to break. Determined minds refused. Time became insignificant in the atmosphere's grey eyes, but tired bodies never underestimated it. Exhaustion settled in the muscles of the foxes. The power to continue drew out of them.

A drowsy fog infiltrated their minds, clouding their awareness. The portal to their dreams opened, each walking foot marching into it. An accidental kick to an ignored can clanged its anger to them. They reawakened. Metal members of Robotropolis assigned themselves to investigate.

Whispers departed the vixen.

"Oh, no..."

The fox discovered silver blinds shielding the house of command.

"The air vent's up here," Tails noted. "Hold on, okay? I'm gonna fly up there."

Surprise rippled.

"You can fly?"

Two tails evolved into helicopter blades and chased each other. The winds of a tornado's rage drove the fox into the air. Embracing Fiona, he introduced her to the skies. Landfills and industries shrank into toy piles and building blocks. Snuggled up to their white carpet, they watched from below with awe. The cloudy gates of the heavens opened, ready to admit them.

With a swift kick to its only barrier, Tails and Fiona trespassed an unknown universe. Dust attacked their faces. An invisible world of bacteria snuck into their paws and legs, searching for a home. They celebrated their new hosts. An irritated air conditioner loathed the fox's voices. It mocked them with ringing echoes.

"What are we gonna do?" Fiona asked.

"Sally said to plant this in the control room." He revealed a future of change with the weapon of choice. A small bomb relaxed in his paw.

"Do you know where it is?"

"Should be around here somewhere..."

His eyes browsed down the holes of the tunnel, spying into rooms dead with darkness and rich in light. Shrieks of grinding gears crashed into the ears of foxes. Trials for Robotropolis's latest creation triggered commotion. Instructions flew around. Hisses from an unwilling machine ordered a shower of insults to fall from an enraged leader's lips.

Another volcano of speech erupted. Distant sentences in another room told a prophecy of evil's retaliation. Descriptions of a complicated plan climbed into Tails and Fiona's space. A vicious voice finished.

"...and those irritating Freedom Fighters taken care of now!"

Loud words demanded attention from Tails' ears. The calm mood of a stranger responded.

"Yes, sir."

"I think I hear something," commented the fox.

"Is it the room?"

The oceans in Tails's eyes swished back and forth, inspecting the area. "Looks like it."

A downpour of worry multiplied as comets of thoughts blazed through the vixen's mind. Imaginary butterflies bred a family of anxiety in her. They plagued her. She searched for the cure through speaking.

"Tails, if anything happens..."

The fox cast the magic of kind words.

"Nothing's gonna happen, Fiona," he assured. "I promise. Like I said, I'm right here and I'm not gonna go anywhere."

The universes of two foxes fell silent. One of Tails's paws freed themselves to chat with Fiona's fur, emotions taking the place of conversation. It communicated well. After investing time and care for her, it finished their talk and returned to the fox.

"You ready?" Tails asked.

"I'm ready."

A show took place. The curtain of a vent left an air conditioner's stage. To introduce its guests, a pair of flightless bodies struck the floor. Thumps sounded through an endless space.

Without discrimination, alarms assaulted ears from the shields of speakers. The noise alerted their master of intruders. Computer screens matching the size of a billboard played footage of Tails and Fiona's entry. An elaborate work of radars, keys and lights formed a panel below them. They leaned towards a large chair born with money's color. An unknown being occupied it.

Towers of windows looked ahead, interested in falling dominoes.

A man stood. Tails' mind ignored the sounds of echoing footsteps and wrapped around Fiona. He brought an available paw to her.

"You okay?" he asked.

A nod answered.

The fox's paw revealed a black cube with unbeatable rage hidden within. He pinned down a button. Through a simple beep, the bomb threatened massacre. A countdown told of the Freedom Fighters' approaching victory.

With all paws and legs brushing the shining face of a floor, Tails tossed his only defense across the room. A smooth surface carried the metal under the chair's legs. Little clinks forced its stop. It stared into space, peacefully building an answer to its bloodthirstiness.

Tails' eyes returned to Fiona. A slice of uneasiness harassed his voice.

"We only got 10 minutes." The words fled out of him. "We gotta get out of here."

"Why, look." The man recognized the vixen. "It's our spy."

Two boots fastened to the feet of Robotropolis's god. A planet of bones, flesh and machine eclipsed the room. Arms and fingers that sacrificed themselves for metal replicas whirred in pleasure at the first sight of future servants. In the center of two red capes guarding his shoulder, orange arches hung under his nose.

Demons lived in his eyes.

"I heard all about your little rebellion the other week," he continued. "We should celebrate. Snively?"

At a fraction of his boss's height, Robotnik's assistant stood. Over a toucan's nose, a network of seven hairs resided on his head. A second mastermind's brain hid behind lifeless skin. A coat of grass graced his shirt.

"Yes, sir?"

"Get out the party favors. Roboticize her."

A power inside fed strength to a starved soul. Fiona scattered for the only exit. She blockaded the hall, her body speaking the language of battle. Bits of courage froze her legs and transformed them into dumbbells.

"Don't move," she ordered.

"And may I ask why not?" An almost polite smile surfaced on the man's face.

"You're gonna do what we say," the vixen elaborated. "And if you don't, you and all the garbage you've made will never see another day. We have a bomb, and in less than 10 minutes you're gonna see your little kingdom come down."

Robotnik boasted a champion's grin.

"Go ahead." No objections struck his mind. "Savor the moment you think's when all your ridiculous delusions come true. I have a surprise for you."

The glow of a glare burned on Fiona's face, silence her threat to him.

"I was born to destroy dreams."

With a laugh, he disconnected the room from the outside revolution. Titanium walls pounced the floor. The polish of newborn metal shot the foxes' eyes with white. Air vents above imitated the obstacle's movements. The final action of glass friends supporting lonely windows sentenced them to death.

Earthquakes soaked the room with vibrations. A league of chains wrapped around a humble hovercraft exposed a secret underground. Groans of a reluctant basement carried the life of the aircraft to view. It looked up to Robotnik, wishing to aid what it perceived as an innocent victim.

A whoosh of a door offered the means to safety. He entered. It sealed. Openings in the roof guided the route to freedom.

On the windshield of his escape vehicle, a resistance movement assaulted the border between two seats and the skies. Like magnets, Tails and Fiona clung to it. The duo's fists smashed holes, mining for their way in. Robotnik hissed.

"Snively!" He shouted. "Shake them off."

"Yes, sir."

The eyes of the ship stared at a concrete ground, shooting itself towards where it began. Inches from an execution, its pilot commanded it to the heavens. Two paws melted for each other, inseparable. They proudly debuted themselves on the runway of the cockpit. Four legs peeped out of glass curtains.

Frustration impacted Snively's superior as he fired missiles of annoyance. They reached their target.

"Get them off!"

"I will, sir."

A joystick assigned another set of instructions. With a jolt of the ship, anger exploded. Disobedient wings threw black air at the faces of its passengers to try to rid itself of useless weight. Clouds soon served as fanfare to the ship.

A quiet panic impersonated viciousness.

"What is going on, Snively?" Glaring eyes accompanied enraged eyebrows.

Teeth pursued his lips as his eyes learned of a metal corpse.

"The... engines have failed, sir. We're going down."

It rigged a flood of actions. Robotnik's boots met the floor. They stepped towards the foxes, who disappeared behind an empty seat. An arm mutilated its leather wall into mere grains of fluff. Golden dust reached for the exit to a yellow disaster.

Ammunition of thought fired into the mind of a fox. Tails' chest served as armor for a vixen tangled in the line of combat. Positioned before Fiona, he married the goal of protecting his most prized fortune. Red suns blazed within him, ready for madness.

The face of violence premiered. Five fingers crushed themselves into a rock and crashed into Robotnik's cheek. Enthusiastic laughter was amused at pathetic attempts. It overshadowed an engine wailing about its death.

"My, my," Robotnik's chuckles muttered, "a feisty one."

Hungry arms captured the fox's tails and flung him by the windows. It headed for dessert. Something inside the vixen thumped. She salvaged the final crumbs of sanity remaining.

The man's voice rumbled. "You're gonna regret betraying me."

Eager to pierce the heart of a traitor, a killer's eyes crawled up her neck. They patiently awaited the opportunity to trap the soul they craved for. Locking with hers, they touched upon untapped terror. Inner tranquility instantly withered away, engulfed in the infamous thunderstorm of fright.

He bolted her arms to a wall.

"I'll exterminate you first, rodent."

Audacity's claws confronted Robotnik. They dug into a cape that lied about its owner's integrity. Uncensored anger infiltrated his skin and slid down. Pain released Fiona. Her heart motored through her body as she complimented Tails' move with a frantic blow.

Smoke shut the eyes of a burdened weight. The heavy heart of the ship dropped as it dove into a concrete pool. It trembled at imminent pain. A particular bomb screamed its happiness from a completed plan a yard away. Tails sheltered the vixen from the idea of an incomplete life with his fur.

Foxes and flames merged.


	6. Regeneration

Victors reigned in an empire of success.

Bricks supplied the tears to a sad giant as it lost his strength. While Freedom Fighters engaged themselves in the joyful melodies of liberty, Mobius witnessed Robotropolis split into white, yellow, and red. Hyper with the sugar of intensity, these colors launched into space and chased the sun.

As towers vanished in smoke's disguise, small booms touched their ears. Memorabilia from a former supremacy carelessly aimed for the ground. Ill with rust, portions of a pipe lingered with nostalgia. Robotnik's walls of security shattered and bombed the forest. Within minutes, sparking wires ceased their hostility.

A leader's voice sliced the speaker of an intercom.

"All Freedom Fighters," Sally spoke, "report to the auditorium."

Thankful heads looked up to the sky with a smile before feet began brushing the path there.

Rich in comfort, crowds of seats opened up for the masses. Tides of animals overflowed the room in search of free space. They took advantage of their discoveries. Somewhere among the rants of frustrated hunters, a princess crept up to a stage's microphone. The intimate relationship of praise and fearless spirits caused a smile.

"Our questions of success faded away at the answer of today's performance," begun her voice. "But we still have a road to travel. Paw in paw, we will rebuild and rediscover the magic that put us here today..."

A blue tornado wrapped around the exits to the stage. Sudden wind swept away the fur of audience members and the day's speaker. It vanished. A hedgehog delivered words to her. Sally's microphone eavesdropped on the conversation.

"Uh, Sal?" An energetic ocean froze with hesitation.

Eyebrows struck down into the perfect pattern of aggravation.

"Can it wait, Sonic? I'm in the middle of something here."

The hedgehog's problem demanded a solution.

"It really can't," he pressed.

"Well, what is it?"

"I couldn't find Tails or that girl anywhere," Sonic informed. "I tried everywhere, Sal..."

His eyes touched upon a lion about to roar.

Furious lips declared war. Teeth underneath equipped themselves for insult. Tiny white bricks showcased from within her mouth as she pierced the ears of her follower. Rambling blizzards suffocated Sonic.

"How could you just lose them like that? You were in charge of them, Sonic! I put _their_ lives in _your_ hands!"

Screams bounced across the room as a fist ambushed the podium. The princess coated the floor in shock. The brutality of harsh words vibrated the seat of every witness. Sally drowned in air. Breaths shot in and out of her. The hedgehog took the face of an abused soul.

Regret bit her. An supporting arm fell to dead weight. A warmer heart began to beat. Aftershocks struck in the form of an apology.

"I'm- I'm sorry. I just can't catch a break anywhere..."

Forgiveness revived with a smile.

"It's all right, Sal. We'll help you..."

With gentle strokes to weak fur, he loosened the strings of stress. Sonic proved an excellent teacher. An wise paw led unraveling troubles away. It dipped her mind into relaxation. Breaths spent on time cooperated with the spell.

"Hey, remember what you said about the future? I can see it, too... and you're not alone in it."

An ally entered a house of mental solitude. Confidence infiltrated the enemy of her stress and annihilated them. Two paws gathered around the blue neck of an animal companion.

"Thank you, Sonic."

The gravity of a crisis weighed a princess down into reality. She returned to the microphone.

"We came here to build a future," she resumed. "But two missing pieces must be addressed."

Armies of eyes and ears scattered the ships of their hearing and sight to her.

"A Freedom Fighter and a citizen of Knothole Village have just been reported missing," explained Sally. "They are believed to be in Robotropolis. Two teams will search the eastern and western branches of the city. Medical personnel will follow."

The princess unearthed a final warning.

"Because the current status of Robotnik is unknown, proceed with caution. Let's go."

Fragile fingers of chilled air poked at the fur of the animal race. Swinging doors encouraged their playfulness.

Outside, an infinite collection of branches and green deserts suffocated from a white criminal's grip. Snow hid away hypnotizing surroundings into a crunchy field an animal kingdom voyaged into. Lost explorers followed the direction Sally's approval lit up.

The corpse of Robotropolis intimidated the Freedom Fighters. Its silence begged a push into paranoia. Without guidance, the city's forces became statues. Each encounter with them opened with weapons fixated on them.

Scraps of a past life sprayed an icy paradise. They laughed at ludicrous obsessions.

"Team B will take this part of Robotropolis," Sally instructed. A paw aimed toward the west. "My own team will take the eastern section. Good luck, everyone."

Worried hearts split into half.

Team B's assignment was untouched by man. A wall's cracks sighed, its breath still contaminated with cockroaches sightseeing the underworld. Rust blossomed in the flowers of an artificial floor. Unused material laid in hills a factory's equipment spat out.

An hour strolled by as arms and feet flailed through waste of the past. A former throne soiled in tears and termites glanced over. It caught sight of overexcited tires racing each other. Forgotten gadgets cried about their loneliness. Heartless rocks closed their ears to their whines.

New searches threw a seed of mystery into bloom. The pest of stink stung their noses in odor's toxins. A white light's glitter abducted the group's attention and freed it at the ground. The flicker's routine mirrored a ballerina's. An elegant spin followed a rushed jump and humbly returned to its beginnings.

Numerous feet bolted to the scene's origins. Happiness nursed pressure's wounds as it carried them to the shines of a potential signal. Swirls in a crowd of marbles broke the hearts of high spirits. They reflected disappointment. Trash teased their worthless attempts.

Crackles bombed the empty air.

"Sally," a Freedom Fighter said. "Come in, Sally."

A swift response spoke.

"Yes, Colonel Stripe?"

"Eastern wing's all clear."

"Then go to the western wing to assist us with our search," the radio responded.

"Understood."

A light of fresh life blessed the city of Sally's team with sunrays. They looked after a garden. Plants of debris raised themselves up from a bitter ground. Trees created from a cluster of wood and steel united for their father.

Insects dined in the sugary playground hidden in broken crates. They savored in the memories food made of the moment. Old nails slid slick rocks. Crumbs from a retried ruler's tools equipped them with soldiers assembled with nuts and bolts. Boiling volcanoes inside the metal growled as vultures approached.

Freedom Fighters focused their zooming lens on smoke firing into the air. Eyes investigated. The black fog shuddered in winter's coat. It realized their superiority and headed for the horizons, the cosmos its only refuge.

Feet crept up to Sally. Every ear interpreted the sounds as an ambush. Bullets scrambled within the guns pointed at the incoming threat, preparing for takeoff. They watched the open world, grinning at Team B. Hesitation captured the paws in control of life and death.

Bunnie chuckled.

"Gotta tell us 'fore ya'll come runnin' in here like that," she remarked.

Smoke hung itself in the junkyard its home became. The black clouds gifted hateful words from a former realm to the Freedom Fighters. Worry gave immunity to their noses. Five senses pondered more about their targets.

On the tide in the sea of debris, Robotropolis' cemetery confronted the gravediggers. Its only guards slept. Without the limits of life to weigh down their futures, Robotnik and Snively dreamed of ruling the afterlife. Their legacies burned in the dirt and scars showering their faces.

Humble, harmless skeletons refused to part with their broken skin. They clutched onto the holes and red spills in their suits with the grip of a lost friend's. Numb faces of the defenseless stared at the Freedom Fighters.

Antoine trembled at the visual attack.

"Is.. is he.."

"Doctor," Sally called, "check their pulse."

One faceless shape in the crowd took on a duck's body. A patch washed with shadow's colors blinded his left eye. A third eye he wore on his headband distorted the world in its mirror. His mouth proudly mounted itself over a white coat bearing the tools to heal.

Spotlights of eyes shone on him. The doctor's hand scanned the necks of the departed. Icebergs snapped at his fingers. They revealed the unfinished goals of the tyrants.

"They're gone," he confirmed.

Minds fumbled with denial. Disbelief dug an endless supply of confusion and questions into a ditch and flooded it. The voiceless frustration represented respectful silence. Only instinct reacted to the moment. Sonic spoke.

"The others gotta be around here somewhere," said his thoughts. "Come on, guys."

Garbage cheated another beach of its magnificence. Roots from trees organized from wreckage pulsated with spite. Scavengers feasted on the white grains of glass footsteps crunched over. A snowstorm's present to the land shielded boots and shoes from the spikes.

A hunter discovered the trophy of an improvised museum: two foxes. Sad plushies forgotten by the wasteland they lived in closed their eyes and glued each other's paws together. Time donated shattered colors to the icy pillows they depended on. Grey shells shriveled at the animated lives of their ancestors.

Thoughts burst in a pause. They found words and spread like rushing waters from Bunnie's mouth.

"Guys!" she shouted. "Over here! I found 'em!"

The cry of a sighting wrote the actions of running into reality. They scrambled. The wrath of feet annihilated annoying bugs under them.

Eyes inspected Tails and Fiona. Frost dressed their legs and chests in glittery clothes. Snow seasoned their necks, preparing a meal for Mother Nature. Little crystals studied the reactions of the Freedom Fighters as the Angel of Death slowly embraced them.

The sight set free a call from a hedgehog.

"Yo, doc!"

Traffic of people camouflaging the doctor skirted themselves away. A humble being drove the street. The same yellow feathers swung to the wind. Once more, a mind occupied with tasks resurfaced.

Open ears awaited commands.

"Doctor," instructed the princess, "check them."

They watched. A troublesome atmosphere clouded Robotropolis. Fog blurred the futures of a pair of victims into a doubtful abyss. Instincts governed the city of the medic's mind. They focused on his patients.

He read the books of two necks. The paragraphs in their veins described the scene of a struggle. Tails and Fiona stood before a golden gate. Wasted time pushed them in. The stories ended at a cliffhanger.

"There's still a pulse," the doctor announced.

The sentence pulled the trigger of Sally's voice. Orders soared.

"Bunnie, Rotor, " directed Sally, "get them out. We're heading to the hospital."

Muscles set to work, lifting heavy puppets out of their mirage. Laziness thrived outside of unknowing minds. Paws and legs rocked in the hammock four arms fashioned. A cursed wonderland snickered. Robbed of their latest additions, the graveyard awaited their return.

Forks of sticks played over a leafy plate in the table of the forest. A honey's tastes leaked from refridgering trees. Random samples of it clung to spotless tiles. The ants marched through and headed home.

Care and compassion materialized through sliding doors. Beyond four windows, guardians clothed in white watched over the injured. Companions unloaded the prey to death's predator into the armor of windows and walls.

Ticks from an impatient clock sounded over a room stocked in beds, monitors performing duets with heartbeats and aggravated lights. Nurses fortified the foxes. Introduced to the luxuries of a pillow's fluff and the sanctuary in a blanket, they bankrupted the business of Robotnik's terrorism. Technology amplified faint messages of health.

Tails and Fiona became a phenomenon.

Wildfire words spread news of their actions and summoned a choir to the hospital. They sang hope. Ripples of people joined the pool serenading the fields of Mobius. Paws came together, sparking smiles. It raised a river. Soon an ocean of voices fired a tsunami of songs into the air. It lasted for decades.

A sun and moon nurtured seven days with wings and flied away.

Support deployed its friendly troops. Sally, Sonic, Rotor, Bunnie and Antoine crossed the waters into mystery. They mixed into the vocal rebellion to a dry desert of hopelessness. It encouraged a smile.

Inside, reality overcame optimism. Though powerless creatures lied before them, their slumber produced a threat. Closed eyes stared into their souls. Fiona's paw connecting with Tails's brought a team into existence. Three tails surveyed the Freedom Fighters, paralyzed.

Rotor approached Tails and Fiona's space. A pair of eyes focused on the paralyzed fox.

"Hey, Tails," he said. "How ya doing?"

A kind paw jumped to the fox's head. Nothing responded.

"I hope you could get better so we can make something together. I know you always liked machines and stuff.. love for you to come up with things."

A tear snuggled up to the nest of Sonic's eye. Stolen happiness abandoned lonely sorrow and its consequences began to pour out. Conversation made the first act of a stream set free. It spoke to the ground.

Bunnie's concerned paw lied itself on Sonic's shoulder.

"Now don't you worry, sugar hog," she assured. "They'll pull through."

Mental wounds escalated in a lying nod.

A few blonde hairs planted on a glancing walker waved to the guests. Trained instinct intercepted the sight. Two boots scattered through the hall. Sally confiscated the next steps of a medic.

"Excuse me, doctor," the princess began, "But do you have a minute?"

"I suppose," he answered. "What do you need?"

"I wanted to ask about the status of two patients, two Knothole residents named Tails and Fiona."

Memories in the doctor's mind searched for the names.

"Yeah. They've been in a coma for about a week stemming from a few minor concussions to the head. They've made amazing progress. They should be okay."

Another question tumbled out of curiosity's persona.

"Can they be woken up?"

"That's up to them," joked the doctor. Chuckles bounced out of him. "Shouldn't be too long in their case. The injuries aren't too severe."

An alarm touched his ears. Out of a white coat, an impatient pager glued to his eyes. Brief messages appointed him the responsibility of a neighboring room.

"I have to go," he announced.

"Thank you, doctor."

A devoted troop returned to the battlefield of medicine.

Sunlight glowed from behind the mask of a closed window. It peeked into the hospital. Digital instruments played uninspired beeps as its greeting to Sally. A pillow team entertained two guests close by. Questions of health blew into the crowd around them.

"Is ze foxes okay?" a bee to the likeminded hive asked.

She rigged an explosion with one simple answer. "Yes."

"How badly hurt are they?"

Sonic's speed charged up through his mouth.

"When are they gonna wake up?"

An abyss of nothingness left her unanswered.

"I don't know."

The merciless arm of time pulled them across the realm of an hour. Dialogue scattered through the lips and ears of Freedom Fighters. It searched for resolution. Five brainstorming minds pondered. The soother to the stressful surges in their minds arrived.

Rebirth brewed through opening eyes. The alien of an unfamiliar setting tickled their eyelids. A formation of lights glared at two foxes. Once their eyes downloaded the environment surrounding them, a sense of danger flourished.

"Hi, Tails," greeted Sally. "How are you?"

A freight of fright shipped to his mind.

"Where is he?" he demanded. "Where are they?"

A hedgehog's fur attempted to relieve through his paw.

"Tails," Sonic spoke, "relax. Everything's fine."

The fox's response set itself airborne.

"They're still on the ship. W- we gotta stop them..."

The dead threat to freedom fueled the voltage living inside him. Renewed energy manipulated his legs. It exploited dormant feet. The newfound power programmed itself to Fiona's bed. Voices ceased a jumpstarted heart.

"Tails." The hedgehog broke off the race to rescuing freedom. "It's over. We won."

"Ze doctor is gone!" Antoine blurted in.

Sally contributed.

"We found them during the search and rescue mission," her explanation stated. "We had a doctor check their bodies. They weren't alive."

The computer in a fox brain accepted the input. Appeals to logic cracked the code overriding his instincts. A CPU overheated with worry cooled. It whirred to a halt. Thoughts rebooted the system.

Misunderstandings tried to blur the vixen's account.

"I saw them alive," her definite words claimed. "I remember seeing them alive."

"Do you remember anything after that?" a patient princess asked.

A brief inspection into her mind's recollections yielded no results.

"No... I don't."

Sonic arranged a positive message.

"A lot of people heard about you guys." The wheels in his feet rolled over to a window. "You're like their heroes. They even got signs and stuff."

The walls of sudden confusion slowly demolished. Surprise ran though the veins in their bodies. Amazement stretched across their eyes.

"We had to get through this whole crowd just to get here," Rotor added. "You got fans, guys."

Bunnie joined in.

"Might wanna check the window, guys..."

Tails and Fiona broke up a relationship of medical tools still attached to them. Beyond a bed's isolation, four feet made a touchdown. A portal to the outdoors opened. Ready ears sampled their reactions.

A fleet of followers broadcasted their support. Antennas tuned in to a thankful reception. Musicians rapidly beat the drums of their paws in a clapping symphony. They multiplied. In seconds the airwaves of an active animal rally hit Knothole Village.

A clear, unbreakable signal immortalized humble legacies.


	7. Appreciation

Ecstasy illuminated the darkness of neglected hearts.

A forest's fuzzy highway bragged about its little riches. It licked the feet of a fox couple. Roots and bushes flirted with eyes leaping around the grassy furniture. Landowners born from willow trees enjoyed the distraction. Two evergreen bodyguards admitted them to a room.

Families of daisies, roses and tulips picnicked in a meadow. Daily doses of sunshine fed them. A cloud confessed its secrets to a lighthearted breeze. Tranquility guarded it. The appetizer of secrecy thrilled the fur of Tails and Fiona. Childhood fascination enticed them.

The vixen examined the results of nature's projects.

"Wow," spoke her amazement. "Tails, this is incredible. How do you know about this place?"

Pure delight lured in harmless smiles.

"I loved to explore when I was a kid," he reminisced. "I found all sorts of places. There's a river a couple miles from here. Sometimes you could find yellow rocks there. But when I came here I knew it was different. It was special. And, um... that's good 'cause I wanna give you something special."

One step closer. His heart shivered nervousness.

"I-I told you I was gonna figure out what I'd make first, right? Well, um..." A completed product of dedication napped, buried in the fur of a tail. His paw extracted it. "I did. And I made it for you, Fiona."

Exposed from the back it snuck behind, a yellow bow beat its wings. A smile outshined its cloth. With permission, he introduced it to Fiona's head. In the free lands of her fur, Tails's creative labor repaired the damages of a disloyal bow.

"Do... do you like it?" a question afraid of rejection asked.

The weights of tension lifted away at her answer.

"It's awesome, Tails!" said her reply. "I love it. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

A safe in his mind locked away words and thoughts harboring secrets. An imprisoned tongue pushed itself for words. Mumbles constructed an escapee's sentence. The microphone of Fiona's ears picked up gibberish.

"Hmm?"

A short statement echoed out of the speaker of his mouth.

"There was something else I wanted to.. to tell you."

A fading winter wind blew to her. Red towns of fur swung with the breeze's music, carried away with its melodies. A morning's golden light crowned the vixen's head. Its sun slipped a halo behind her.

"And what would that be?"

Shy smiles stalled for time. An old car of words sputtered out its little verbal engine.

"Y- you're a good person," Tails began. "It doesn't matter what happened in the past. I know you're a good person. You're a miracle. A.. a walking miracle to have lasted so long and to be so strong and pretty. You're more than pretty. You're.. incredible."

The car rode down a more steady road of speech. He took it. Remastering basic communication, a confession aided the release of a paragraph.

"I-I took you here 'cause... this place means a lot to me. You do, too. It's like a retreat from the rest of the world. It holds a lot of value, and I'm happy to say.. y-you're the same in my heart."

Screeching tires in his mind crashed into panicking tree. Instinct spoke for him.

"Do you, uh.." An impulse blurted it out. "Do you wanna be my girlfriend?"

The thief in her beauty stole a fox's rampant ideas. Nervous arms and legs disintegrated into shriveled sticks. An overwhelmed heart pounded his chest, heavy with fear. Roller coasters of sweat slid the slide of his skin.

A minute's opportunity recovered from the shreds of astonishment cutting into an unsuspecting mind. Visions of a certain future drifted through her thoughts like a day's lonely cloud. Happiness's signature signed itself on her smile. Its joy hinted at something.

"You know, Tails," she said, "you're really a sweet guy. You've done a lot of things for me, and there's no way I could ever repay that. When everything happened, I didn't have anybody to go to. But you were there for me. It felt nice to have somebody care about me all the time. And honestly.."

Confetti blasted in the back of Tails's mind. Race cars loaded with turbo flew away with his emotions. The excitement was a rocket lifting off into space. Two smiles lit up the magic in the fox's face.

"I'd love to, Tails."

Persuaded by an honest heart on the forefront of love, missing pieces fell into a puzzle. Forever united, its picture depicted a blossoming romance. Gestures proposed their first date in an elaborate garden creative with its imagination. She accepted.

Tender flowers flaunted their shiny pedals beside two resting foxes. Light winds of applause blew at their performances. Hearts bonded. Warm paws nibbled at every tree in the forest of her fur. Hearts fell deaf to doubt at each other's untainted perfection.

He held her, caressing her gentle fur as a sentimental treasure.


End file.
